NEW DELHI: Former US secretary of state John Kerry said concerns about President Donald Trump alienating allies with his policies are genuine and described as unfortunate the current struggle between Trump and PM Narendra Modi.On India-US ties, Kerry said that instead of genuine diplomatic efforts to find common ground, there was “a little bit too much ordering, pressuring and pushing people around to do one thing or another.” The real way forward, he stressed, was through cooperation and respect. The relationship has been strained in recent weeks, with the Trump administration set to impose secondary sanctions on India for its oil trade with Russia.”We are concerned. This struggle between President Trump and PM Modi is unfortunate. It seems to me it’s a reflection that great nations don’t necessarily exhibit greatness by giving people ultimatums all the time,” Kerry said at the ET World Leaders Forum. He expressed hope India and the US would resolve their trade dispute, noting that India had offered to place almost 60% of goods at zero tariff. “That’s a big shift. We need to get to a better place faster,” he said.Kerry, who served under President Obama, appreciated Trump’s peace efforts with Russian President Vladimir Putin but said Putin had no intention of ending the war. “He sees gains on the ground, disarray in the West, and Trump’s wavering stance on staying power,” he said, contrasting it with Biden’s firm support for Ukraine.Calling Russia a “gas station with a lot of gas,” Kerry said its long-run economic prospects were bleak. He added that both Russia’s security concerns and Ukraine’s guarantees needed serious discussion. On Gaza, Kerry said Israel’s current govt does not believe in a two-state solution, which posed a “big problem for the world.” He also praised India’s ambitious renewable energy goals, saying nuclear power must be part of the transition.
